Lech Lecha: Chevlei Mashiach

How do you begin Shabbat? Is the home filled with peace, the air permeated with the aroma of challah bread baking in the oven? Are the children ready and dressed, the home clean and the table set? Or is it a mad rush to beat the 18 minutes before shkiah (candle lighting)? Prior to Shabbat, it is imperative to prepare ahead of time, to arrange everything to welcome the Sabbath, to be dressed for the occasion, to enter the Sabbath in peace. One should be wearing clothing appropriate for Shabbat, as if to receive an incredibly important guest into your home.

Abraham and Sarah were experts in receiving guests. Sarah created a home that was conducive to receiving guests. They were blessed in revealing the Creator to the nations of the world. Yet, in Parashat Chayyei Sarah (Genesis 23:1–25:18), we read of the death of Sarah. It was as if the sun at set upon the world,

“And the life of Sarah was a hundred and seven and twenty years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. And Sarah died in Kiryat-Arba – the same is Hebron – in the land of Canaan; and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her (וְלִבְכֹּתָֽה).”Genesis 23:1-2

It may seem counter-intuitive that the parasha describing the death of Sarah is titled the Life of Sarah. This illustrates the Jewish emphasis on life, as it is said, “L’chayim!” Bearing this in mind, hidden beneath the English, in the Hebrew, it seems there was something “defective” in the mourning of Abraham, as if the mourning did not overcome him. This is illustrated by the Hebrew word “and to weep for her” (v’livkotah). The word is written in the Torah scroll with a small kaf. What is the meaning of this?

The book of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) says,

“For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.”Ecclesiastes 9:5

Kohelet Rabbah reveals the secret of this verse,

“The righteous … are called LIVING even in their death; BUT THE DEAD KNOW NOT refers to the wicked who, even in their lifetime, are called DEAD. Whence do we know that the righteous are called living even in their death? As it is said, Unto the land of which I swore unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”Ecclesiastes Rabbah 9:4, Soncino Press Edition

Rabbi Nosson Weisz writes,

“God is above space-time. To Him, past, present and future have no existential meaning. It is we who experience time as a reality. We are born young, gradually age and finally die. None of these human experiences apply to the Divinity. The flow of time is part of our world, not God’s [see Droshot Haran #8]. According to our perception of reality, Abraham and Sarah may have died four thousand years ago; but as far as God is concerned, they are no more dead or in the past than they ever were. They are still walking around, fully active and very much alive in their own reality envelope. Their connection to God is still vibrant and alive and remains very much a function of the present from His point of view. It is spiritual distance that separates us from God, not time, and spiritual distance has nothing to do with being alive or dead; the living person who cuts himself off from God is no closer to Him alive than dead. Rashi (Genesis 11:32) explains in the name of the Midrash that the wicked are already considered dead in their lifetimes; whereas the righteous are considered alive even after they die.”R’ Nosson Weisz, Mayanot, Chayei Sarah, Aish.com [1]

When the engineer Michele Besso died, his close friend Albert Einstein wrote a letter of condolence to his family,

“Now he has departed from this strange world a little ahead of me. That means nothing. People like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.”Albert Einstein

Prior to Einstein, Rebbe Nachman stated the same exact concept regarding time,

“In reality there is no such thing as time. Time is only an illusion…Our notions of time are pure illusion. Someone who thinks about this carefully will certainly put all his strength into abandoning the vanities of this time-bound existence and putting all his hope in that which is beyond time. You should have faith in the One who is beyond time. Then nothing in this world can throw you down. Wherever you are, you will always be able to remind yourself, “This day have I given birth to you” (Ps. 2:7). These words refer to Mashiach who is in a realm beyond time. There everything finds healing. Time past is annulled completely.. . There is only today. Today you were born. Literally! All that is wrong with the world is a part of the “Evil work that is done beneath the sun” in the time-bound world. . . what remedy is there for all the days and years, all the time that [one] wasted in wrongdoing? His only hope is in the realm beyond time. From there comes all healing. It will be as if he were born again today. So long as you have faith – in God, in the World to Come, and in the Messiah who is beyond time – you have eternal hope.”Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, Meshivat Nefesh, Restore My Soul, Translated by Avraham Greenbaum, Breslov Research Institute, pg. 88-89

Paul writes,

“I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you grieve as others who have no hope.”1 Thessalonians 4:13

Although he was heart broken, Abraham was not overcome with grief, as he believed he would see Sarah again. He believed in the resurrection, which the Rambam wrote as an article of the Jewish faith:

“I believe with perfect faith that there will be a resurrection of the dead.”Maimonides, 13th Principle of Faith

Yeshua said,

“I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in me will live, even if he dies. Whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”John 11:25-26

The Cave of Machpelah

The Temple Mount. Photo credit: Andrew Shiva

The Tomb of Yosef

MACHPELAH

In our parasha, Abraham purchased the cave of Machpelah in Hebron for 400 shekels from Ephron the Hittite. The Baal HaTurim comments,

“16. עפרן Ephron. the name is spelled here defectively (without a ו). The gematria of (400) is equal to that of רע עין, stingy one, (literally of an evil eye) And the number 400 corresponds to the four hundred shekalim that Ephron took for that cave.”Baal HaTurim Chumash on Genesis, Mesorah Publishing Ltd., pg. 183

Machpelah literally means “double.” Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah are buried there. Unfortunately, along with the Tomb of Joseph and the Temple Mount, the Cave of Machpelah is one of the most disputed holy sites in the land of Israel. Regarding this, the Midrash makes an fascinating observation,

“AND HE BOUGHT THE PARCEL OF GROUND, etc. (Genesis 33:19). R. Judan b. R. Simon said: “This is one of the three places regarding which the nations of the world cannot taunt Israel and say, ‘You have stolen them.’ These are they: The cave of Machpelah, the site of the Temple, and the tomb of Joseph. The cave of Machpelah: “And Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver (Gen. 23:16).” The Temple: So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold (I Chron. 21:25). And Joseph’s sepulchre: AND HE BOUGHT THE PARCEL OF GROUND.”Genesis Rabbah 79:7, Soncino Press Edition

This creates a massive problem for pro-Palestinian activists, who say that the land does not belong to Jews. They will further argue that the violence stems of Israel’s “illegal occupation” of the Land. History does not support their claim. On August 29th, 1929, almost 70 Jews were massacred in Hebron, with many others wounded and injured. The violence was incited by a rumor that the Jews were going to seize control of the Temple Mount.

On October 16, 2015, Palestinians set the Tomb of Joseph ablaze:

It is incredibly ironic that the some of the most disputed places are the three that the Midrash Rabbah specifically mentions. However, in a world in which the nations do not care about facts or morality, this should not surprise us.

WORLD WAR ZERO

In Parashat Lech Lecha (Genesis 12:1–17:27), a massive battle unleashes upon the earth in what may be termed World War Zero, often called The War of the Nine Kings:

“It happened in the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar, Arioch, king of Ellasar, Kedarlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of Goyim, that they made war with Bera, king of Sodom, and with Birsha, king of Gomorrah, Shinab, king of Admah, and Shemeber, king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar). All these joined together in the valley of Siddim (the same is the Salt Sea). Twelve years they served Kedarlaomer, and in the thirteenth year, they rebelled. In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer came, and the kings who were with him, and struck the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, and the Horites in their Mount Seir, to Elparan, which is by the wilderness. They returned, and came to En Mishpat (the same is Kadesh), and struck all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that lived in Hazazon Tamar. The king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar) went out; and they set the battle in array against them in the valley of Siddim; against Kedarlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goyim, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings against the five.”Genesis 14:1-9

In this text, a strange anachronism occurs that at first glance, may not be evident,

“And they returned, and came to Ein-Mishpat (the Well of Judgment), which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites.”Genesis 14:7

How is it possible that they smote the ‘country of the Amalekites’, when Amalek has not yet even been born? Amalek was the grandson of Esav, as Genesis states:

“Timna was a concubine of Esav’s son Eliphaz. She gave birth to Amalek for Eliphaz.”Genesis 36:12

The Midrash Rabbah comments,

“And they smote all the country of the Amalekites. Amalek had not yet arisen, yet you say, And they smote all the country of the Amalekites! But, ‘He declares the end from the beginning’ (Isaiah 46:10)”Genesis Rabbah 42:7

Moreover, in verse 5, the following is written,

“And in the fourteenth year came Kedarlaomer…”Genesis 14:5

Kedarlaomer, King of Elam was the monarch of what is now modern-day Iran. The Masoretes noted that this phrase, “in the fourteenth year,” occurs twice in the Tanakh. The second occurrence appears in 2 Kings 18,

“In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them.”2 Kings 18:13

The Taylor Prism from the Neo-Assyrian empire tells the story of king Sennacherib’s third campaign and includes descriptions of his conquests in Judah, mentioning Jerusalem and Hezekiah by name. Photo by David Castor.

This links these two passages together. In a fascinating discovery, a prism containing the Annals of Sennacherib were discovered. In the annals, Sennacherib mentions King Hezekiah,

“As for Hezekiah, I shut him up like a caged bird in his royal city of Jerusalem.”

According to the Talmud, Hezekiah and Sennacherib are prototypes of the Messiah and Gog u’Magog:

“The Holy One, blessed be He, wished to appoint Hezekiah as the Messiah, and Sennacherib as Gog and Magog; whereupon the Attribute of Justice said before the Holy One, blessed be He: ‘Sovereign of the Universe! ‘If Thou didst not make David the Messiah, who uttered so many hymns and psalms before You, will You appoint Hezekiah as such, who did not sing hymns to You in spite of all these miracles which You wrought for him?’ Therefore it [sc. the mem] was closed. Straightway the earth exclaimed ‘Sovereign of the Universe! Let me utter song before You instead of this righteous man [Hezekiah], and make him the Messiah.’ So it broke into song before Him, as it is written, ‘From the uttermost part of the earth we heard songs, even glory to the righteous.’ Then the Prince of the Universe said to Him: ‘Sovereign of the Universe! It [the earth] has fulfilled Your desire [for songs of praise] on behalf of this righteous man.’ But a heavenly Voice cried out, ‘It is my secret. It is my secret.’ ”Sanhedrin 94a, Soncino Press Edition

The Baal HaTurim, R’ Yaakov ben Asher (1269CE – 1343CE), says:

“This teaches that just as nations came to attack Hezekiah but fell into his hand, so too, they came to attack Abram and fell into his hand.”Baal HaTurim Chumash, Genesis 14, Mesorah Publishing, Ltd., pg. 111

This reveals to us the secret: The First World War will be like the Last World War. The Midrash says,

“And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar’: this alludes to Babylon; ‘Arioch king of Ellasar’: that alludes to Greece; ‘Kedarlaomer king of Elam’: that is Media; and ‘Tidal the king of Goyim [lit. ‘nations’]’: this alludes to the wicked Power [i.e. Rome] which levies troops from all the nations of the world. R. Eleazar b. R. Abina said: When you see the Powers fighting each other, look for the coming [lit. ‘feet’] of the King Messiah. The proof is that in the days of Avraham, because these Powers fought against each other, greatness came to Avraham.”Genesis Rabbah 42:4

R’ Yeshayahu Horowitz, known as the Shelah, describes the objective of kidnapping Lot,

“their prime purpose became to prevent the emergence of a Jewish people and thus to frustrate the concept of the Messiah and what he represents.”Shney Luchot HaBrit, Lech-Lecha, Volume 1, translated by Eliyahu Munk, pg. 83

Yeshua said,

“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. . . For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, plagues, and earthquakes in various places. But all these things are the beginning of birth pains.”Matthew 24:6-8

ISHMAEL AND EDOM

The Zohar comments,

“R. Simeon discoursed on the verse: ‘And I will remember my covenant with Jacob, etc.’ (Lev. 26:42). The name Jacob, he said, is here written in full, with the letter vav. For what reason? In the first place as an allusion to the grade of Wisdom, the realm where Jacob dwells. But the chief reason is because the passage speaks of the exile of Israel, intimating that the redemption of Israel will come about through the mystic force of the letter vav, namely, in the sixth millennium, and, more precisely, after six seconds and a half a time. When the sixtieth year shall have passed over the threshold of the sixth millennium, the God of heaven will visit the daughter of Jacob with a preliminary remembrance (p’qidah). Another six and a half years will then elapse, and there will be a full remembrance of her; then another six years, making together seventy-two years and a half. In the year sixty-six the Messiah will appear in the land of Galilee. A star in the east will swallow seven stars in the north, and a flame of black fire will hang in the heaven for sixty days, and there shall be wars towards the north in which two kings shall perish. Then all the nations shall combine together against the daughter of Jacob in order to drive her from the world. It is of that time that it is written: ’And it is a time of trouble unto Jacob, but out of it he shall be saved (Jer. 30:7).’ … In the year seventy-three all the kings of the world will assemble in the great city of Rome, and the Holy One will shower on them fire and hail and meteoric stones until they are all destroyed, with the exception of those who will not yet have arrived there. These will commence anew to make other wars. From that time the Messiah will begin to declare himself, and round him there will be gathered many nations and many hosts from the uttermost ends of the earth. And all the children of Israel will assemble in their various places until the completion of the century. The Vav will then join the Hei, and then they shall bring all your brethren out of all the nations for an offering unto the Lord (Is. 64:20). The children of Ishmael will at the same time rouse all the peoples of the world to come up to war against Jerusalem, as it is written, ’For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle, etc. (Zech. 14:2), also, ’The kings of the earth stand up, and the rulers take counsel together, against the L-rd, and against his anointed’ (Ps. 2:2); and further, ’He that sits in heaven laughs, the L-rd hath them in derision’ (Ibid. 2: ). … Happy are those who will be left alive at the end of the sixth millennium to enter on the Sabbath. For that is the day set apart by the Holy One on which to effect the union of souls and to cull new souls to join those that are still on earth, as it is written, And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remains in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written unto life in Jerusalem (Is. 4:3).”Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 119a, Soncino Press Edition

THE LAST WAR

The Book of Ezekiel describes in great detail the coming war of Gog and Magog,

“The word of HaShem came to me, saying, Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, Thus says the Lord HaShem: Behold, I am against you, Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal: and I will turn you around, and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you forth, with all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them handling swords; Persia, Cush, and Put with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer, and all his hordes; the house of Togarmah in the uttermost parts of the north, and all his hordes; even many peoples with you. Be prepared, yes, prepare yourself, you, and all your companies who are assembled to you, and be a guard to them. After many days you shall be visited: in the latter years you shall come into the land that is brought back from the sword, that is gathered out of many peoples, on the mountains of Israel, which have been a continual waste; but it is brought forth out of the peoples, and they shall dwell securely, all of them. You shall ascend, you shall come like a storm, you shall be like a cloud to cover the land, you, and all your hordes, and many peoples with you.”Ezekiel 38:1

Interestingly, the Midrash Tanchuma to Korach reveals that the gematria of “Gog u’Magog” is 70, equaling all 70 nations. Therefore, Gog, who is the Prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, will lead the world’s nations to attack Israel.

גוג ומגוג = 70

The Biblical definition of “nation” is different from the modern terminology of the word “nation.” A “country” is a nation-state, but a Biblical “nation” is a people group, of which there are 71 (the nations + Israel). This is found in Genesis 10:

“In Jewish tradition the conflict will take place during Sukkot, and the Ezekiel chapter was therefore selected as the haftarah for the Shabbat of Sukkot.”OzTorah, Gog and Magog, R’ Dr. Raymond Apple [2]

The word “Gog” means ‘Roof’ and symbolizes a person who seeks to block mankind from praying to HaShem. This is diametrically opposed to the Festival of Sukkot, where the Sukkah’s roof is made of schach, natural materials, and is open to the stars, as R’ Yonason Goldson explains,

“…the prophet Ezekiel describes a great battle on the eve of the messianic era, when the all forces of evil in the world combine themselves into a great army called by the name Gog and Magog. The brilliant 18th century thinker, Rabbi Shimshon Rafael Hirsch, interprets the prophet’s vision not as a military battle but as an ideological war between the philosophy of “gog“ — which means roof in Hebrew — and the philosophy of sukkah, where those convinced that their fate lies in the power of their own hands and their own resources will attack the values of those who recognize the limits of human endeavor to influence the world.” R. YonasonGoldson, Sukkot and the War to End all Wars, Jewish World Review [3]

It is interesting that in Numbers 29, the Torah commands Israel to sacrifice a number of bulls during the Festival of Sukkot,

“On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no servile work, and you shall keep a feast to HaShem seven days: and you shall offer a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to HaShem; 13 young bulls … 12 young bulls … 11 … 10 … 9 … 8 … 7 young bulls.”Numbers 29:13-32

If one adds up the number of bulls sacrificed during the Feast of Sukkot, you arrive at 70 bulls.

The implication is incredible. While Israel has been and is being persecuted by the 70 nations, it is offering sacrifices and praying for them. This is parallel to the Mashiach, who prayed for his persecutors:

“Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”Luke 23:34

All the nations will come up to worship at Jerusalem during the Festival of Sukkot,

“It will happen that everyone who is left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, HaShem of Hosts, and to keep the Festival of Sukkot.”Zechariah 14:16

It is difficult to logically explain why the nations hate Israel who prays for them. As David wrote,

“Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth take a stand, and the rulers take counsel together, against HaShem, and against his Mashiach, saying, ‘Let’s break their bonds apart, and cast their cords from us.’ He who sits in the heavens will laugh. The Lord will have them in derision.”Psalms 2:1-4

In Joshua 9, the kings came to fight against Joshua (who is called Yeshua in Nehemiah 8),

“It happened, when all the kings who were beyond the Jordan, in the hill country, and in the lowland, and on all the shore of the great sea in front of Lebanon, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard of it that they gathered themselves together to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord (literally, “with one mouth.”)Joshua 9:1-2

Revelation says,

“And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.”Revelation 19:19

At the end of the Messianic Era, the ultimate Sukkot, there will be the final manifestation of Gog and Magog,

“And after the thousand years, Satan will be released from his prison, and he will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war; the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. They went up over the breadth of the earth, and surrounded the camp of the holy ones, and the beloved city. Fire came down out of heaven from God, and devoured them.”Revelation 20:7-9

The Vilna Gaon – R’ Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman (1720 – 1797)

RUSSIA

The identification of some of nations listed in Genesis 10 are well known.

Paras = Persia, modern day Iran

Put = Libya

Cush = Ethiopia

But who is Magog? According to the Artscroll commentary on Ezekiel,

“It would seem that Magog was a known place in Yechezkel’s time, and, therefore, we should be able to identify it with reasonably accuracy. Our chapter offers a hint by telling that Gog will come from the farther=st north (v. 15). . . Thus, Magog must lie in what was the northernmost extremity of the then civilized world. The various traditions concerning the identity of Magog, who in Genesis 10:2 is listed among the sons of Noah’s son Japheth, tend to place the land of Magog in what today is southeastern Russia – the Caucasian region, which lies between the Black and Caspian seas. . . Chevlei Mashiach BiZemaneinu quotes a letter which R’ Chisdai Ibn Shaprut wrote to the king of Khazaria in which he addresses the king as prince, leader of Meshech and Tubal. This salutation, drawn from our verse, indicates that the Gaonim had a tradition that these countries were indeed located in Russia.”Yechezkel, The Artscroll Tanach Series, Chapter 38, Mesorah Publications, Ltd., pgs 582-583

Even some Christian commentaries link Rosh with Russia, Meshech with Moscow and Tubal with Tobolsk. R’ Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman, known as the Vilna Gaon (“The Genius of Vilna”), or the Gra (“Gaon Rabbenu Eliyahu”) makes an incredible commentary, which is summarized in the Artscroll Commentary to the book of Ezekiel,

“…one may understand an oral tradition passed down from the Vilna Gaon (see Chevlei Mashiach BiZemaneinu p. 134), that when the Russian Navy passes through the Bosporus (that is, on the way to the Mediterranean through the Dardanelles) it will be time to put on Sabbath clothes [in anticipation of the coming of Mashiach.]”Yechezkel, The Artscroll Tanakh Series, Chapter 38, Mesorah Publications, Ltd. pg 581

Now that Russia has been stationed in Syria, they have a foothold in the Middle East, it is possible, if not probable, that they are there to stay. Southeast Syria is adjacent to the Golan Heights. With a discovery of a massive oil reserve in this area by Afek Oil and Gas, along with the alliance between Russia and Iran, the proximity of Putin’s Russia places it too close for comfort. Everything seems to be lining up exactly as Ezekiel foretold.

THE REDEMPTION

Yeshua said,

“…when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is at hand. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let those who are in the midst of her depart. Let those who are in the country not enter therein. For these are days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who nurse infants in those days! For there will be great distress in the land, and wrath to this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and on the earth anxiety of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the waves; men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world: for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these things begin to happen, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near.”Luke 21:20-28

Amazingly, Yalkut Shimoni looks forward to do the day when the Mashiach completes this sentence,

“The leader of Persia will bring destruction to the entire world, and all of the nations will be struck by panic and fear … Israel will also be overtaken by panic and fear, and they will cry, ‘Where shall we go? Where shall we go’? “Mashiach will then tell them: ‘My children, fear not. Everything I have done, I have done for you. Why are you afraid? Do not fear! The time of your liberation has arrived.”YalkutShimoni, Isaiah, Remez 499, Cited in the Kabbalah of Basra, Yosef Y. Jacobson [5]

The Great Shabbat, the Messianic Era, is rapidly approaching. It is not yet candle lighting, but it is time to lift up our heads, and put on our Shabbat clothes.

2 Comments

I’m curious to know your thoughts on several teachings that state that Gog and Magog are actually located in Asia Minor or parts of Turkey. People like Joel Richardson use various atlases to come to that conclusion. Are there any biblical or extra-biblical sources that might either prove or disprove this?